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School of Communication Studies Associate Professor Jeffrey T. Child, Ph.D., released his second edition of his Introduction to Human Communication textbook, “Experience Communication” (EC). Child wrote the text to help make the latest and greatest scholarship about effective communication in the 21st century accessible to a range of people.  Communication technology has revolutionized the way we carry out every facet of life today.

EC addresses communication apprehension and public speaking, like most introductory communication textbooks do, but significantly expands the treatment of public speaking to a broader understanding of public communication practices that occur through mediated communication channels.  Child notes that “EC provides a contemporary treatment of the communication challenges that come from living in a technologically rich and globally interconnected society.” Such an approach motivates students to confidently use digital tools and social media to represent themselves effectively in person and online when managing relationships and seeking employment.  

EC advances an applied focus consistently throughout the text, helping students refine their own interactive skills across varied applications.  Throughout the text students encounter skill-builder boxes, which help them practice key communication skills such as how to communicate to decrease defensiveness or how to analyze social media presence.  The text explores development of the self, key differences in communication models and communication scholarship across a range of contexts of life. Students hone competent listening skills, non-verbal and verbal interaction patterns, effective information retrieval and digital literacy skills.  Central communication contexts examined within the text include interpersonal and relational communication; organizational, workplace, and small-group communication; mediated and mass communication; and intercultural/global communication. EC uses real-life scenarios to address the communication challenges faced by students today.